


lead me off this ship before i sink

by aeoniancypress



Series: webbed hands and ear fins [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, M/M, Merman!George, Surfer!Dream, Swearing, dream almost drowns again lmao, george has heterochromia, george is colour blind, merfolk, merman au, no beta we die like george in manhunt, pearl opening, rated teen for the swearing, rockpool date, surfer!sapnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27707009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeoniancypress/pseuds/aeoniancypress
Summary: The past three days had been spent sitting down at his computer to edit the vlog, standing back up again, and pacing his room as if each step would beat the images in his head out, and then sitting back down as he gave in to skip to the part where the GoPro had fallen into the water.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: webbed hands and ear fins [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026375
Comments: 22
Kudos: 306





	lead me off this ship before i sink

**Author's Note:**

> mmm couldn't help myself. look, I don't mean to keep almost drowning Dream, it just kind of happens okay? Please enjoy!
> 
> tw// almost-drowning again oof. he's good though dw.

The past three days had been spent sitting down at his computer to edit the vlog, standing back up again, and pacing his room as if each step would beat the images in his head out, and then sitting back down as he gave in to skip to the part where the GoPro had fallen into the water.

At first, Dream cringed at watching himself attempt to swim down, but then he noticed something in the background that interested him greatly and held his attention. The merman had been swimming mere tens of feet away, close enough that Dream could have easily seen him beforehand. He wondered why he hadn't.

The footage made Dream endlessly thankful for his shopping decisions, grateful that his past self had chosen the waterproof GoPro when Sapnap had suggested surfing in the vlog. It made it so that he could see George swim over the camera while watching Dream, before he realised what Dream wanted. The merman came over to the camera, tilting his head in thought at the device before picking it up. Then, he returned back to Dream and swam under him before moving around to surface, and Dream gets a good look at his own bewildered expression.

So he'd obviously snorted at that.

Dream had been trying to edit it properly for a while, but he couldn't bring himself to share George with the world and have others see his beauty. It was something that Dream felt selfish about for wanting to keep, but eventually decided he was going to do anyway. Cutting the footage entirely out of the vlog, he removed the parts of conversation that mentioned George, and then exported the file once and for all.

After sending it to Sapnap to review, he texted him to tell him he was going out for a while and likely wouldn't reply for a bit. Checking the time, Dream had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes at the sight of 5am coming up on his phone.

So he hadn't slept and had instead fixated on a merman, big deal.

Except, he guessed it _was_ a big deal. There were constant claims from people of merfolk being real, and the tales of sailors being sung to their deaths were still believed by many. If Dream just released his very real footage and showed it hadn't been tampered with, the high quality would likely catch the eye of a lot of scientists.

On the other hand, people would go looking for George. And the thought of that scared Dream, to know that this beautiful merman would be strapped down to a surgical table and opened up for maniacal scientists to understand his biology... It made Dream feel more than a little nauseous.

Grabbing his coat, the freckled Floridian got dressed into his swim trunks and a white tee. He pulled on his sandals and took his keys from the window sill before taking a deep breath, telling himself he was doing this. 

Quietly making his way downstairs, he stepped out of his front door and began the short walk to the beach. He was determined to find George again, if it meant that he could get answers and another glimpse.

Upon pushing open the gate to the smaller beach area, he began walking the length of the beach, half-regretting putting on swimwear now. He made multiple trips down the small beach, breathing in the morning air as he gazed hopefully into the water, wishing to see some hint of George being out there, but received nothing.

Giving up on this area, he walked to the next nearest beach, doing the same check there.

Nothing.

Moving on, Dream reached the beach that he'd gone surfing with Sapnap at, taking his coat and sandals off to head into the water. It was calm in the morning, so he didn't particularly have any concerns. However, the water was _fucking freezing_.

Pushing past the initial shock of the cold, Dream waded out until he was comfortably chest-deep, then looked at the water's horizon. Surely, if George was anywhere, he would be here? Right?

Well obviously not, since Dream spent an hour looking and still found nothing.

George likely had left to return home, to his own waters. Dream decided he was probably just obsessing now, swimming back to shore and getting his things before walking out. There was a rockpool nearby, the merman might enjoy those. As he reached it, the tall boy couldn't help but feel disappointed when it was empty. Instead of moping around, he sat down in one of the comfortable spots and let his back hit the water.

It's early morning, you can hardly blame him when his eyes slide shut and his body complies too easily. However, because he spent the entire night fussing over the vlog, he slept so heavily that he couldn't feel it when water began flooding into the rockpool due to the tide rising, and suddenly he was up to his neck in seawater.

Dream still didn't feel it when the water blanketed over his face, and his entire body became submerged.

This part of the beach wasn't often used and so it gained no visitors on the cool day, the rockpool too hidden for any lifeguard to see. Inevitably, Dream's lungs filled with water once more.

He must have been under for barely a minute before something grabbed onto him and shoved him further up the rocks, struggling with the out-of-water weight where the liquid weighed the boy down. Fortunately, as he was being pushed roughly, Dream woke up, and promptly began coughing up as much water as he could.

Leaning over the side while scrambling further out of the water, the Floridian choked up every last drop of water before taking a few deep breaths. Allowing himself to come to consciousness and gain his bearings, Dream stared at the slick rocks under his hands, having clawed at them to aid himself being pulled out of the water. Swallowing finally, he shut his mouth from the heavy breathing he'd been doing subconsciously and let his gaze turn to what had saved him.

Sitting in front of him with a slight unsure smile was the merman, his body laid in the crook of the rockpool where he was half-covered in the water, each glint of his scales shining in the afternoon sun. When Dream recognised the heterochromatic merman, he smiled back, able to sigh in relief as he thought about how this was the second time now that he had had to come to his rescue.

"What kind of idiot falls asleep in a rockpool?" The merman teased, and Dream delighted in the giggle that followed it.

The delight soon leaves though, as he remembered Sapnap's words. He'd looked over the footage so many times now, watching George pull him under the water. Had he really been trying to drown him?

It seemed George felt the shift in mood as Dream scanned his expression for any ill-will, wondering if he truly intended on harming him when he could have simply held his head down under the water and made sure he drowned, but instead he had rescued him.

After a moment's pause, he allowed himself to study George once more. The view of the merman being half-strewn across the water, flicking his tail every now and then to push water off of the end, was irresistible. Dream could see the entirety of him now, without the worry of salt getting in his eyes and without the fear of imminent death by drowning.

Perhaps he should have slept somewhere that wasn't giving him an ache in his back, as he lost himself in the portrait of George in his mind, and the merman had to reach up to wave a webbed hand in his face and bring him out of his thoughts.

"You alive?" He asked, the look of concern returning as he Dream blinked himself out of it.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I thought you went home?" The dirty-blond haired boy asked, confusion painting his features.

The other shrugged. "Thought I'd stick around a bit longer." Flicking his tail again, (Dream was beginning to notice it as a habit due to being out of the water and against the wind) the brunet moved forward and placed his hands either side of Dream, leaning over him.

Unsure if he should be moving back, Dream stayed still and let George bring his nose up against his, pressing slightly as he looked into Dream's eyes. It would have made anyone else nervous, having a merman so close in your face, but Dream's gaze caught a few streaks of cobalt either side of George's nose, almost like a highlight. Then he noticed the same streaks over the other's cheekbones.

There's a long moment where Dream thinks neither of them are going to move, when George tilted his head to the side and licked a long stripe up the side of Dream's face. The action made Dream cringe, a familiar tingling sensation going up his spine and driving him mad. George found it hilariously funny though, and laughed warmly at the other's reaction, sticking his tongue out at him.

His tongue- it was blue? Dream hardly had time to focus on it when George was talking again.

"I've never seen someone with so many freckles. It looks like the stars are imprinted on your skin." It was a compliment Dream had heard before, but it had more meaning coming from George, especially with the flattering comparison.

He felt his cheeks warm. "Well you're the palest person I've ever seen." It has George laughing again, Dream a little embarrassed at his own flat tone due to being unable to take compliments easily. Luckily the merman had a sense of humour. "I mean- _fuck_ , your skin is so soft and clear."

When he moved to brush his hand against George's arm, he saw the blue highlights on his shoulders and the small fins on his upper arms, decorated in the same silk he had between his fingers. George watched him with a tender look, not pulling away from the touch.

"Thank you." He replied sincerely. Looking away momentarily, Dream watched as George bit his lower lip in thought before seemingly pushing it away and moving on. "While I was swimming around, I saw loads of oysters in this area. You want to collect some and crack them open?"

If Dream knew merfolk customs, he probably would have gone red from blushing at the courting from the merman who _absolutely_ knew the human wouldn't pick up on it. Predictably, since he was blind to that world, he only grinned at the idea and agreed.

George slipped away into the deeper water before hopping off into the depth of the sea, disappearing to go and collect as many as he could find. Dream smiled and decided to do the same, instead looking around the rockpool and picking up the oysters he spotted. There were quite a few bigger oysters that he put onto his pile- which he had made sure to put as close to the water as possible so that George didn't have to get out to add to. While he was walking down the side of the rockpool and grabbing any he found hidden, George lifted a whole heap of oysters onto the pile and whistled to grab the Floridian's attention.

Returning as beckoned, Dream sat down beside the pile and watched George lift himself back up, settling comfortably on a large smooth rock he pressed his back against. He was leaned on his arm as he gestured for Dream to go ahead.

A little unsure, he picked one up and decided to just brute force it. To George's amusement, it didn't work and the oyster didn't budge. Dream looked up in time to see George pull a large scale off of his tail, wincing a little as it came out. The tanned boy's eyes widened in surprise, quickly reaching for George, an instinct he didn't know he had now.

"Why'd you do that!?" He asked, watching curiously as George placed the scale in his hands.

"You usually need something bigger and sharp to open them but my scales are strong enough."

"Doesn't that hurt? This is one of your bigger scales." He commented on the size while turning it over between his fingers, marvelling in the iridescent beauty of it. If George let him, he was definitely keeping it.

The other shrugged. "I lose scales all the time, it's fine. C'mere." Gesturing for Dream to come closer, the merman guided his actions to crack open the oyster, making sure he did it correctly before it popped into two halves in his palms.

Dream grinned at him and looked at the oyster, watching as George used his index claw to press a pearl out of the oyster's middle, and there it was. A beautiful pink pearl was placed into his hands, and Dream felt in awe at the beauty of the pearl.

As George reached for another oyster, Dream grabbed a handful of sand and placed it on top of a rock before putting the pearl in the sand. It would keep it upright whilst they continued to go through the other oysters. It was placed into Dream's hands and George waited patiently as Dream tried to copy what George had walked him through.

Sliding the sharp end of the scale into the oyster, it cracked open again and Dream grinned victoriously as he found the pearl and removed it, observing it and holding it up to the sun. It was a similar blue to George's eye actually, and as he turned to compare the two, he saw George watching with a fond look.

Becoming a little shy, he put it back down and just continued to open the oysters. All throughout, George only watched him, teasing him with giggles when he struggled to open the more strong oysters, and taking a few to eat the meat of while he mused at Dream. As the freckled boy looked up from his focus to see why George was taking some of them, he gasped upon catching him chewing on the meat.

"George! You'll get sick, you have to cook oysters before you eat them." He gently scolded, only making the merman laugh after swallowing it.

"What do you think I eat? And how do you think we cook things underwater?"

He made a good point.

At Dream's pause, George only giggled and rolled his eyes, gesturing for him to go on as he took another oyster, much to Dream's distaste. While he popped open the next, he mumbled, _"I thought you ate seaweed or something,"_ under his breath, but George heard it and had to slap a hand over his mouth before he choked, shaking with laughter.

Dream raised a brow at him before being unable to contain his smile. He watched him laugh for a moment, noting the way his ribs shook with each almost-choke, and then realised he had the same cobalt highlights on his ribs too. Dream was noticing so many little details slowly, he wanted to hold George and stare at him for an hour so he could find all of them that he had missed when he was in the water.

"Look, this one's so red!" He exclaimed as he found the next pearl, gasping as he turned it over and showed it to George. Dream missed the way George's eyes lost their glint for a moment, before he forced a smile and nodded, watching Dream put it with the others.

Once all of the pearls were taken out- Dream had found a particularly meaty oyster and had wordlessly handed it over to George, who smirked mischievously at him- and cleaned off with Dream's tee, Dream shuffled forward to look at them all.

His eyes fell on the same bright blue one that he'd taken out early on, and picked it up. "I think this one's my favourite." He said, holding it carefully before offering it to George.

The merman stared at him for a moment, looking between him and the pearl. "If it's your favourite why are you giving it to me?"

"So my favourite things can be together." Dream replied, and George hoped that the warmth in his cheeks wasn't visible.

Looking off to the sea for a moment, George bit his tongue, feeling the little pocket in his cheek before deciding to just go ahead as he took the pearl, gesturing for Dream to come closer to him.

"So, we merfolk have these pockets in our cheeks." He pointed to his left cheek, already having an idea of what he was doing. Dream listened patiently. "And we keep pearls in them to give to our significant other. It's a courting thing. We can keep multiple, if we want, so I decided a long time ago to keep the shiniest one I found and give it to a pretty boy."

The merman fiddled with his lower lip before using his tongue to press out said shiny pearl from the left pocket in his cheek and sit it comfortably on the back of his tongue. Pursing his lips for a moment, he opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out to show it to Dream, whose eyes widened in surprise at the chartreuse metallic pearl.

George took it out of his mouth and washed it in the water before he handed it to Dream.

"I think you're a pretty boy worthy enough." He teased, watching as Dream took it with his other hand and blinked down his long eyelashes at it. It truly was shiny, and the compliment made him flustered while he curled his hand into a fist and looked up at George.

His eyes glistened with excitement, too much emotion for George to fully read. "Thank you. I doubt you actually have pockets in your mouth though, I bet you just choked on a pearl while eating the oyster meat." Dream practically bristled with mischief, and was grinning down at the merman for his reaction.

George gasped in fake shock, holding a hand to his chest in pretend anguish. "How dare you think I wouldn't tell you if you missed a pearl. That's despicable. Anyway, yes I do!" He adamantly claimed, immediately reaching for one of Dream's hands.

The taller put both pearls in one hand and gave George his free one before realising what he was doing, suddenly his fingers in George's mouth as the merman pressed them against said pockets. Just as Dream was about to turn crimson, he suddenly felt the silk material and got the strength to feel around them, coming to the conclusion that there truly were pockets in George's mouth. When he pulled his hand away, George had a look of triumph on his expression while he watched Dream practically combust.

"W-well... I stand corrected." The Floridian admitted, before offering the pearl once again. "But at least I know you can put this somewhere."

George giggled as he took it, popping it into his mouth with a fiendish grin. The sight had Dream's face flushing again, though he managed to shove it down and look away.

Dream turned back to the rest of the pearls, pulling his coat towards him as he wondered what to do with them. As he turned to ask George, the merman told him straight away that they were all his. There must have been at least forty of them, so Dream had to think about what he was going to do with this many pearls. He could give them out to his subscribers as a giveaway, but the memories already tied to each pearl would feel sour in someone else's hands.

While he became enamoured in sorting the pearls into size order, Dream suddenly got an idea, looking at the variety but similarity in colour groups. "Hey, we can sort them into colour order!" He proposed, already beginning to push the cream ones together over his dry coat. 

Dream barely had time to recognise the drop in the mood when he saw George move out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see the merman leave. Unable to call out in time, he watched as George flew gracefully out of the water and settled on a much larger rock that came out of the water. The sight reminded Dream of The Little Mermaid where Ariel was singing on a rock, but he realised that was vague considering the entire movie was about a mermaid, and he was looking right at a merman.

Collecting all of the pearls into his coat pocket, he put it safely tucked under a rock before he head out to go up to George, knowing the brunet wouldn't come to him. Climbing up the rock, he swung his legs over the side while watching George. His gaze was distant, looking out to the waterline where Dream faintly remembered was more familiar territory for him.

"I'm sorry," he started, desperately trying to figure out what he'd done to upset George. "I don't understand what I did but I obviously said something that made you sad. Is there a way merfolk apologise that isn't offensive for me to do?" Dream suggested, though George remained sombre.

They sat and listened to the water for a while instead, Dream having to look up to watch the sun bleed across the sky as it became darker. When George looked down at his hands, Dream followed to see if he would say anything, preferring the view of the merman to the view of the sunset that he could watch any day he wanted.

_"I can't see the colours."_

It was softly spoken, hardly becoming above a whisper, but Dream caught it. Admittedly, it did take him a little too long to understand what he was talking about but he realised it with a start, suddenly feeling guilt wash over him.

"You're colour blind." He said for confirmation, and the merman nodded, his gaze trained down. Then he processed it. "I'm sorry. I- I said colour group- gosh, I'm such an idiot." Dream sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What colours can you see?"

"No red or green." George replied, telling him what was easier. "Some blues I can see."

"Your tail?"

"A little. The colour is muddy." As he regarded it, he lifted his tail and drew Dream's attention towards it before he looked back up at George, putting his hand over the closest to him.

"It's breath-taking." Dream assured him, before he let the atmosphere slide into a calmer one, George taking a deep breath as he turned to look out at the sun. Trying to turn the mood back into the happier one they'd been in earlier, Dream said the first thing that came to mind.

"Did you actually try to drown me the other day?"

It worked, because George broke into giggles and shook his head. "No. I wanted you to see me because I'm pretty."

His answer made Dream laugh. "You are."

They're sat in further comfortable silence when Dream realises he needs the light to find his way out of the beach. Silently cursing that his time with George has to come to an end, he moved towards George to wrap him in a short embrace. The brunet doesn't fight it, rather leaning into the touch.

"You have to go?" He asked, and Dream nodded. "Are you coming back tomorrow?"

The human blinked. "Aren't you going home?"

George shook his head. "Not for a bit. I want to visit the dolphins. That's why I'm here, actually. There's a pod near here that are family friends. We usually go swimming together around this time of year." He explained, and Dream nodded.

"Where will you be, then?"

The merman gestured to the rockpool. "I can meet you back here, if you want." He suggested, and Dream nodded with a smile.

As he was about to say goodbye, the brunet leaned up, the second part of what Dream had been chasing for days pressing onto his lips. It's a chaste kiss filled with a promise of more, and Dream has to fight the urge to hold onto him and deepen it. He watched as George left another peck on his jawline before diving into the water and swimming away.

He turned away to grab his things, walking along the beach using the remaining light to find his way out. Walking home, he headed straight up to his room to check his phone, seeing the large amount of texts and missed calls from a lot of his friends, mostly Sapnap. Picking it up, he opened his phone and brought up his close friend's contact.

_**[Sapnap]:** dude the video is great but where's the merman? you cut literally all mention of him lol_  
_**[Sapnap]:** i think his name was george idk_  
_**[Sapnap]:** cmon british merman is such a clickbait title_  
_**[Sapnap]:** ?????_  
_**[Sapnap]:** i didnt think you'd be gone for this long bruh where are you_  
_**[Sapnap]:** i'll go talk to karl if you dont answer_  
_**[Sapnap]:** DUDE IT'S BEEN THREE HOURS_  
_**[Sapnap]:** okay,,,, where are you?_  
_**[Sapnap]:** YOU DIDNT GO BACK TO THE BEACH DID YOU_  
_**[Sapnap]:** IF I GET A CALL FROM YOUR MOM TELLING ME YOU'RE MISSING IM GONNA BE SO MAD AT YOUR FUNERAL_  
_**[Sapnap]:** okay well,,,, your mom hasnt texted me so im guessing she knows where you are_  
_**[Sapnap]:** I just texted her and she said you hadnt told her_  
_**[Sapnap]:** yknow what i hope that merman eats you_  
_**[Sapnap]:** you deserve to be eaten_  
_**[Sapnap]:** he probably thinks idiot tastes good_  
_**[Sapnap]:** "OH BUT SAPNAP, HE SANG TO ME AND HE WAS SO PRETTY"_  
_**[Sapnap]:** YOU'RE DEAD DREAM_  
_**[Sapnap]:** okay but are you dead_  
_**[Dream]:** no lol_  
_**[Dream]:** call me_

He laughed as Sapnap's contact lit up on his screen, answering it as he sat down on his bed, the pearls deposited on the table. Pressing accept on the facetime, he smiled at his friend's dramatic eye roll. Sapnap was also laid in bed, holding his phone over his face as he looked mildly relieved of Dream's appearance, but there was the scrutiny in his eyes.

"Your hair's wet. You went back to the merman, didn't you?" He accused, and Dream laughed.

"Yeah. I did." He pushed his hair out of his eyes, figuring he should probably shower after coming off the call.

"And!?" Sapnap pressed, waiting for more of an answer.

Dream laughed as he began recounting the day's events, talking about how he almost drowned again and then about how George didn't want to eat him and rather wanted to court him. It bewildered his friend as he tried to process it, before he barked out laughs at Dream.

  
"Dude, I can't believe a merman wants you. You probably don't even compare to his level of pretty, he's a _merman_ , for fuck sake." Sapnap said, reaching over his nightstand for something Dream couldn't see.

"I know." Dream sighed. "He's mystical, I swear. His skin is so clear and-" he paused as he felt something in his swim trunks' pocket. Pulling out the sharp object that had pricked his finger, he looked down at the scale in his hand and gasped, immediately bringing it up in view of the camera.

"Is that his!?" Sapnap asked in awe as he leaned in close to the camera. Dream stifled a laugh as he nodded, turning it over to show its reflective side.

"You wanna see the pearls I got?" He asked, moving over to his desk and flipping the camera around. Showing the pile, he heard his friend gasp loudly again.

"Dude," he immediately whined, "why can't I have a merman boyfriend who gives me pearls." 

"You have Karl." Dream joked, catching the Texan off-guard as he blushed and looked away, hiding his face. "Look, when you next come over I'll take you to the rockpool so you can properly meet him and not drag me away this time."

Sapnap huffed. "Fine. But I want you to send me the footage of George. I hardly got to see him, I promise I won't upload it. I don't get why you don't want to include it."

Dream began explaining his thoughts, talking through his worries with his friend while absentmindedly sorting the pearls into size order again. Their call breached the hour mark and they found themselves discussing the reality of merfolk and their customs, Dream telling him everything that he'd learned with George before pulling out his iPad and Apple Pencil to draw George as best as he could.

When the call ended and he moved to shower, he found himself thinking of things to do tomorrow with George, to make the most of their time together before George left. He did mention the dolphins, maybe if Dream was polite enough, he could ask to swim with them? But there was the thing about how Dream definitely couldn't hold his breath for longer than a minute and a half. Maybe he could call someone to rent a scuba suit and be able to swim under the water with them.

He thought of the ideas while washing all of the saltwater off of his skin and out of his hair, the hot water a delight to the coldness he'd been sitting in for most of the day.

Dream couldn't wait to see George again tomorrow.


End file.
